Hot 100 - Getting Caught Up

Steve over at Log My Loss is helping people stay focused and motivated during the remaining days of 2009 with the Hot 100 Challenge. I LOVE his blog-- check him out for Motivation For Monday and Wednesday's word of the day. Great stuff people!

Ya know I had the flu for over a week and then had other issues immediately following, so I was absent in blogging land for two weeks. Pretty sure the Hot 100 challenge requires you to not miss any updates in order to be in the running for the prize at the end.

So, I was initially thinking that I should discontinue my participation. BUT, isn't breaking promises to ourselves how we got ourselves into this obese state to begin with? It doesn't matter if I can't win the jar of hot peppers, that's not why I signed on for it.

I didn't just tell Steve that I would do this, I told ME that I would do this. So, I shall. And if I am hot pepperless at the end, that's fine because I know that my gut will be smaller and I will have the joy of knowing that I fulfilled a promise to myself to go to the end with Steve's challenge.

Anyway, here are the updates on my challenges:

Exercise a minimum of Five Hours a week: Well, I sucked ass on this for about two weeks but came back this week with a vengeance! I'll be posting my fitness totals for the week tomorrow, and if I can throw in another walk sometime today I will pass the ten mile point for the week for what I believe will be the first time!

Eat foods rich in Omega 3's at least 3 times a week: Failed at this while I was sick but did ok on it last week and this past week.

Complete all three months of the ChaLEAN Extreme Program: This is a work in progress. I had just started the second phase, what they call the PUSH phase, when I got the flu, so I opted to start the push phase over last week. In this phase, you lift heavier for fewer reps. I can't convey how much I LOVE this and how impressed I am with my own strength. I have to buy more weights, I don't have enough here to take me to failure on some of the moves. I'll start the final phase in December and be done with it right around the time the Hot 100 challenge is over

Consume at least 5 fruits and Veggies a day: Again, failed while I was sick but I am back into it. I made a HUGE spinach salad with dinner last night. (By the way, try raw spinach with dried cranberries and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Goat cheese is marvelous in this too, just watch the portion.)

Eat 5-6 small meals a day: I have to admit that I have become terrible at this. In the beginning I was ALWAYS hungry and looked forward to my 6 meals a day. Because I am not quite as large and have gotten used to eating better, I just don't feel hungry between meals like I used to. So, most days it's been 3 regular meals and one snack.

I've been told that if I ever get more serious about building muscle, It'll be better to eat smaller amounts more often. So I will keep at this, as I hope to one day pass the goal or losing weight and move on to a new focus of improving my strength and the shape of my muscles.

Yesterday, someone named Sandi posted in my blog and asked what fitness DVDs I used in the beginning. Sandi, there is no link to your blog in your profile so I have no way to get back to you, but I'll post it here in case you return.

It may sound lame to some, but Richard Simmons has fitness DVDs that are great for those with a lot of weight to lose and/or who haven't exercised in awhile. He also doesn't use skinny and perfect models in his videos. They are real people, some of them still fat. This is great for your self-esteem as, if they can do it, so can you. His stuff generally isn't high impact so you won't blow out your knees and back your first week out.

After that, I graduated myself to Denise Austin workouts. It is a bit more challenging than Richard Simmons, yet easy to modify the things you can't do or keep up with. My favorite Denise Austin one is"Burn Fat Fast: Cardio Dance and Sculpt."

If you do the whole thing, it is about 50 minutes. The cardio segment is 20 minutes and I did that every other day for quite awhile. When you can't keep up, just march in place to keep your heart rate up. There is no magic in the dance moves they are doing. With fat burning, the body cares that your heart rate is up, it doesn't care what you do to get there.

Having the DVDs on, even when I cannot do exactly what they do, makes me feel like I am not exercising alone and helps me keep up the tempo. Hope this info helps, Sandi, if you come back here.

Anyway, gotta get on with my day. I will post my fitness totals for the week tomorrow. Yeah baby! Be good to you today!